When the torment became severe in Makah, and the idolaters wanted to assassinate the Messenger of Allah, angel Jibreel came to him and said: “Allah has given you permission to migrate to Medina, do not therefore pass this night in your house so that they may not get you.”

While the idolaters were lying in wait for him to come out so that they might strike him all at the same time, he came out reciting the opening verses of Surah Ya-Sin and throwing sand on their heads. Allah prevented them from seeing him and made slumber overtake them. The Messenger of Allah and his companion hid in the cave of Thawr for three days until the search for them subsided.

The Quraysh searched for him everywhere and followed his tracks until they were at the entrance of the cave. Abu Bakr then said: “If one of them looks at the place of his feet, he will see us.” The Prophet replied, “What do you think about two companions, of whom Allah is the third?

Thus did Hijrah take place and it was really a victory for Islam and Muslims in that Allah rendered the disbelievers’ plot fruitless. Allah says in Surah Al-Tawbah 40: “If you help himnot (it does not matter) for Allah did indeed help him when the disbelievers drove him out, the second of two, when they (Muhammad and Abu Bakr) were in the cave and he (Muhammad) said to his companion (Abu Bakr), ‘Be not sad (or afraid), surely Allah is with us.’ Then Allah sent down His sakeenah (calmness, tranquillity, peace) upon him and strengthened him with forces (angels) which you saw not and made the word of those who disbelieved the lowest, while it was the word of Allah that became the uppermost, and Allah is the Almighty, All-Wise.

The Messenger of Allah was exposed to assassination attempts many times before and after his migration. Allah says in Surah Al-Talaq 3: “And whoever puts his trust in Allah, then He will suffice him.”

On his way to Medina during migration, Suraqah bin Malik pursued him in order to get at him and win the Quraysh prize (money that had been put on the Prophet’s head), but Allah made Suraqah embrace Islam and abandon his pursuit. The Messenger of Allah informed him that he would wear the bracelets of Chosroes – King of Persia. This prophecy later came to pass when Muslims conquered Persia and ‘Umar – then the Khalifah dressed him with Chosroes’s bracelets.

The Prophet and his companion Abu Bakr entered Medina gloriously and honourably, built his mosque and quarters of his wives and started a new era full of blessings, victory and divine support. Afterwards, Hijrah became compulsory from Makah to Medina during the time of the Prophet and from all places where a Muslim is unable to practice his religion. The Messenger of Allah said: “Islam erases whatever was done before it, and Hijrah erases whatever was done before it.”

After the conquest of Makah, emigration from there was abrogated. As for other places where one cannot perfectly practice his religion, emigration from there is valid until the Last Day. The Prophet said: “Hijrah will not cease until there is no more repentance and repentance will not cease until the sun rises from the West.”

The issue of Hijrah to Medina in itself was a kind of miracle, for the city was very meagre in terms of it’s commerce, infrastructure and agricultural resources before Hijrah, and the place was even tight for its inhabitants. In human estimation, emigration to a city with all these deficiencies would cause a lot of economic and social problems but as Allah would have it, the reverse was the case in the Hijrah to Medina, for the emigration to Medina brought all good things to the town. People had the opportunity of meeting the Prophet, learning their religion from him, emulating his noble character, preserving his sunnah, knowing much of his public and private life and loving him.

Hijrah had a great impact on Islam and Muslims, for Allah bestowed a lot of His blessings on Muslims through Hijrah. Although the Muslims faced some difficulties in the first days of their emigration to Medina, they were able to overcome these difficulties through their Imaan and perseverance. The Prophet used to feel compassion for them and was full of love for their children.

Dear brothers! There is another type of Hijrah in which we can earn great reward: Emigrate from disobedience to obedience; shun negligence in religious matters and migrate to uprightness; emigrate from sins to submission to Allah; emigrate from laziness and false hopes to seriousness and striving in what pleases Allah and emigrate with your heart from affinity to the daily life to the love of the hereafter. The Prophet said: “The Muslim is one who does not harm other Muslims with his hand or tongue and the Muhajir is the one who shuns and avoids all that Allah has forbidden.”

He also said: “An act of worship during the time of fitnah (trials) is like an act of emigration to me in reward.”

Allah says in Surah Al-Baqarah 218: “Verily, those who have believed and those who have emigrated (for Allah’s religion) and have striven hard in the Way of Allah, all these hope for Allah’s mercy. And Allah is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful.

Brothers in faith! Fear Allah as he should be feared, and die not except in the state of Islam. One of its lessons is that, it was the will of Allah to make His Prophet perform the Hijrah with means that human beings were accustomed to, like riding on a camel and hiring a guide. If He had wished, He could have let him do the Hijrah on Buraaq but He wanted Muslims to emulate him and help their religion with whatever means Allah facilitated for them.

The greatest duty upon you then, dear brother, is to help the religion of Allah in yourself by practicing it and calling to it in your community and being patient with that.

Indeed, the situation of the Muslims today throughout the world necessitates that we benefit from the lessons to be learned from the Hijrah. We should know that the condition of Muslims of this generation cannot improve except by what improved the condition of our righteous predecessors, namely; Sincere ‘Imaan, honest actualization of Tawheed, noble characters, putting trust in Allah, patience and perfection of acts of worship in accordance with the sunnah. The Prophet said: “Fear Allah wherever you are, follow an evil deed with a good one; it will erase it, and be well mannered in your dealings with people.”